Balanced Living

The Business of Fat Loss - Why You Don’t Need a Packaged Food Program to Get Healthy!

The business of fat loss is a tricky one. Everywhere you look there is yet another product promising to help you shed unwanted pounds. Even cosmetics companies are jumping on board, adding shakes, snacks, and energy boosters to their product line-up. For someone looking to shed unwanted pounds, navigating your way through all the products and trying to decide what will work best for you can be daunting, to say the least. Well, let me make it easy for you. Don’t buy into the hype. The best way to lose fat and get healthy in the long run is to find a way of eating and living that makes you feel good, and that works for your body.

I don’t know about every product on the market, but I’ve seen a lot of them, talked to people selling them, and even tried a few of them myself. I’ve had many clients and friends ask me about specific product lines before, wondering if it would be a good choice for them, and while I see the appeal (convenience being top of the list) my answer is always no. I’ve even had one friend post a hysterical response to all of the invites she’s been getting recently to try the latest and greatest fat loss product line. Recently I was approached by someone looking for my professional opinion about a specific shake/food company that promotes a system based on the idea of cleansing and supportive nutrients (both popular topics in the health world). While her main interest was in ingredients, I found it hard to answer without going deeper and giving more personal opinions.

My short answer, and this applies to almost all of these shake/snack/weight loss food systems is that some of them have reasonable quality ingredients (some of them are actually chock full of chemical crap), but I think that they’ve overused them to the point that it feels like chemical garbage. There are so many things added to them (vitamins, minerals, herbs, enzymes, etc.) to allow you to “just add water” that it makes me wonder, why not just eat real food? Sure, when I make a smoothie in the morning I like to add things like chia or flax, maca, spirulina, chlorella, and protein powder, but that’s ON TOP of my fresh leafy greens, fruit, and other whole foods.

If your ultimate goal is increased energy, vitality, fat loss, and just an overall improvement of health, but you’re feeling the pressure to buy into one of these systems, let me tell you why I think you shouldn’t bother:

- I think they’re overpriced
- they are encouraging reliance on a food system, with boxed and packaged snacks, instead of teaching you how to change your relationship with the food you are eating
- as far as the cleansing part of any of these programs is concerned, I believe that you can accomplish all of that with a whole foods and supplements based program and receive the same benefits, with less cost, and also start working on developing a better relationship with food itself that will lead to building better habits all around
-there are higher quality products on the market, though not necessarily weight loss systems

The truth is, fat loss, increasing energy, and just generally feeling better is more complicated than any one-size-fits-all packaged program can provide. We are all biochemically different, and you are better off learning to eat in a way that YOUR body responds to, and addressing the imbalances that you may have.

The best thing that you can spend your money on is education and support. Don’t buy into the hype, give in to the “quick fix”, or think that you can’t succeed without them. Learn to eat real food that makes you feel happy and alive. Invest in yourself with good quality food, books and other tools for learning. Make time for exercise, and treat yourself kindly as you learn new habits and make changes. Change is uncomfortable, and it may take you a few tries, starting and stopping, as you find your groove and develop lasting habits.

You’ll be proud, feel strong, and learn so much about yourself along the way!

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arja pennanen lytle c.n.p. n.n.c.p certified nutritional practitioner

Arja is a Holistic Nutritionist with a passion for balanced living. She loves to help people sleep better, think better, feel sexier, and just generally feel better by putting the focus on eating foods that make you feel good. Arja uses whole foods, lifestyle adjustments, herbs, and some supplements to help people feel their best and achieve their health and wellness goals.